Street indicator



y 3 w. s. SHAW 1,758,476

STREET INDICATOR Filed Aug. 29, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l 'w. s. SHAW STREETINDICATOR May 13, 1936.

Filed Aug. 29, 1928 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 vwcntoz Patented May 13, 193% i}TA T E attain WILLIAM SIDNEY SHAW, OFIBQISE, IDAHO STREET INDICATORApplication filed August 2'9,

The present invention is directed to improvements in street indicators.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter so constructed that it can be conveniently attached to a motorbus or street car in order that the driver thereof can operate the sameto display the name of the street being approached.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this characterso constructed that the driver of the vehicle can convenient-' 1yoperate the device after leaving one street intersection to indicate thenext street, the construction being exceedingly simple in construction,eflicient in operation, and one which can be manufactured at asmallrcost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a street indicator havingnovel means for changing the winding direction of the web bearing thestreet names from one roller to another. i

Another object of the invention is'to provide means whereby the web willbe maintained tightly rolled and held against wrinkling or warping.

\Vith these and other objects in view, this invention resides in thenovel features of construction, formation, combination and I arrangementof parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated111-. the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view ofthe device.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional vlew through one of the rollers.

Figure 4 is a view of the casing with the working parts containedtherein exposed.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5--5 of Figure 4.

- Figure 6 is a detail View of the pawl supporting bracket.

Figure 7 is a sectional view on line 7-7 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a casing adapted to be securedin any suitable manner in convenient reach of the driver of a motor bus,and in a position to be readily seen by the passengers.

The casing includes top and bottom walls 1928. Serial No. 302,871.

2 and 3, respectively, andconnecting side walls 4 and 5, said side wallshaving openings 66 formed therein and associated with said openings arebowed leaf springs 7 7, the purpose of which will appear later.

A driving shaft 8 is provided and has its ends slidable in the openings8-6, said shaft having annular grooves 9-9 and 10-10 formed adjacent theterminal knobs 11 thereof, said grooves cooperating with the springs 7to hold the shaft 8 in different positions of longitudinal adjustment.This shaft has fixed thereto beveled gears 12 and 13.,

Secured to the side walls 4 and 5 are brackets 14 and 15, respectively,the former being arranged above the shaft 8 while the latter is disposedbelow the same, said brackets having bearing sleeves 16 and 17.Journaled in the sleeve 16 is a shaft 18 having fixed to its upper andlower ends beveled gears 18 and 19, thereb'eing a shaft 20 journaled inthe sleeve 18 and to which is secured the beveled gears 20 and 21. Theshaft 8 has fixed on one end thereof a ratchet wheel 22 which isintermittently rotated by the pawl 23, said pawl being provided with anarcuate slot 24 for slidably and pivotally engaging the hub carried bythe bracket 26.

The bracket 26 is suitably secured to the outer surface of the Wall 4 ofthe casing. The coil spring 27 connects one end of the pawl to thecasing wall 4 while the other end of the pawl has secured thereto theupper end of the pull rod 28 which is suspended in convenient reach ofthe driver in order that the pawl can be actuated to intermittentlyrotate the wheel 22, and thus the shaft 8.

Secured to the top wall of the casing 1 is a pair of spaced brackets 29and 30. there being a shaft 31 rigidly supported by the bracket 29,while rotatably supported in the bearing 32 of the bracket 30 is a shaft33 having fixed thereto a beveled gear 34 which constantly meshes withthe gear 20.

A pair of brackets '35 and 36 are supported by the bottom wall 3 of thecasing, the latter having fixed thereto a shaft 37, while rotatable inthe bracket 35 is a shaft 38, said shaft having a beveled gear 39 fixedthereto, which constantly meshes with the gear 19.

Upper and lower rollers and 41 are em ploye v and windable thereon is aweb 42 upon which is printed the names of the streets intersecting theroute'of'the bus.

Yieldably and pivotally supported by the top and bottom walls 2 and 3 ofthe casing are plates 43 and 44 which are provided with hard rubberrollers 45 and 46, respectively, adapted to rest upon the web 42 to holdthe same compactly wound and to prevent warping and wrinklin thereofwhen being Wound from one rol er to the other.

The rollers 40 and 41 have one of their ends provided with a recess 47in which is mounted a coil spring 48, and engaged with the said springis a bearing 49, the reverse ends of said Irollers having squaredsockets 50 formed therein. It Wlll be obvious that the bearing 49 of theupper roller will engage the shaft 31, while the similar bearing of thelower roller will engage the shaft 37. The shafts 33 and 38 are providedwith squared heads 51 which are adapted to engage the sockets 50 sothat.

when rotary movement is imparted to either of said shafts the rollerswill be compelled to rotate to wind or unwind theweb.

To set the web at any point a crank handle 52 may be applied tothe'shafts 33 and 38. lVhen the web is bein reset it is not necessary.that the drive shaft -%e driven, therefore the same is moved to aposition to throw the gears 12 and 18 and-13 and 21 out of mesh, thisbeing very easily accomplished upon moving the shaft to a neutralposition.

The rollers can be conveniently removed upon forcing the same in adirection to compress the springs 48 sufiiciently to permit the socket50 to be removed from engagement with the shafts 33 and 38.

The casing 1 is provided with a cover 53 in which is provided a sightopening 54, in

order that the names of the streets indicated upon the web can bereadily seen by the passengers. The cover is further provided with arear view mirror 55.

, As shown in Figure 4 the gears 21, 20 and 24 are driven by the gear 13when the shaft is rotated upon actuating the pawl 22, thus winding theweb from the lower roller upon the upper roller. To reverse the windingof the web the shaft is moved to the left so that the innermost groove9vand the outermost groove 10 of the shaft'will engage the springs 77 tohold the shaft in a position to throw the ear 12 in mesh with the gear18.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation andmany advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, with out further description, and it will beunderstood that various changes in the size, shape and proportion andminor details of corn struction, may be resorted to without departi'ngfrom the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

a driving shaft journaled in the casing and having gears fixed thereto,upper and lower rollers, a rotatably supported shaft for driving eachroller independently of the driving shaft, a gear on each of saidshafts, a geared connection between the gears of the driving shaft andgears of the roller driving shafts, the driving shaft being shiftablelongitudinally to selectively drive the geared connections forselectively operating the roller driving shafts, and means forintermittently rotating the driving shaft.

3. A street indicator comprising a casing, a driving shaft journaled inthe casing, upper and lower rollers in the casing, a rotatable shaftengaged'with one end of each roller, a gear fixed to each shaft, gearsfixed to the driving shaft, two sets of gears rotatably supported in thecasing, one gear of each set being constantly in mesh with the gear of aroller engaging shaft, means for shifting the driving shaft to move oneor the other of the gears thereon into mesh with either of the othergears of each set to positively rotate a selected roller, a web windableon the rollers, a ratchet wheel fixed to one end of the driving shaft,and a pawl carried by the casing for driving the wheel to intermittentlydrive the driving shaft.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

WILLIAM S. SHAl/V. [L. s.]

